I don't write much and haven't lately due to mitigating circumstances in my life and also the fact that there are so many people here that are much more talented than me. So I've mostly done a lot (in as much as I could) of reading and commenting on other people's blogs.
Since I've become separated (wife left) and I've become a single person again paying all the bills I've had to come up with ways to spend less money and/or make my paycheck stretch out enough to cover all the bills.
I've learned several tricks that probably most of you know already such as not paying the bills all at once like I used to and start planning ahead (setting up a schedule) with the mailing of the checks for the utilities and other expenses....you know, there's not enough money now but by the time the check gets there payday comes rolling around (I have direct deposit) and the check is covered by the time it gets deposited. I actually got a hardcover school notebook (cheaper than an accounting one), drew some lines and listed the bills by arrival date, amount and mailing date and so far it's working out just fine. A few tight weeks every once in awhile and no going out to dinner but I can squeeze in a movie now and then on payday.
But that wasn't enough and thanks to a lot of praying there's a light at the end of the tunnel as I'm renting the extra room to someone I've known for several years....so it's not like I'm renting to a stranger. But that wasn't enough either as I want a little economical safety net also. Meaning I'll be getting a part time job for awhile and saving up money for next year 'cause I want to go on vacation out of the country. Haven't been out of the country in a very long time and it's about time I did.
Moreover I started thinking about how else to save money and I got the bright idea of using Google to find out. Much to my surprise a ton of information came up on how to be frugal with your daily expenses.
The most surprising was VINEGAR. Yep...that's right, VINEGAR.
Vinegar can be used in cooking (which is really what interested me to begin with).
Vinegar can also be used for a variety of things from cooking to cleaning and keeping the weeds from growing between the cracks on your driveway.
What really surprised me was that it can be used to enhance your cleaning liquids when you do the laundry. I was so intrigued that I just tried it today and to my pleasant surprise it worked just like it said in the internet (well almost ok?). I used it with the laundry and it did make the colors seem brighter a bit. The claim was also that using it in the rinse cycle cuts down on the lint that's stuck to your clothes.
On my first wash I did some shirts and underwear and later I took out the shirts and dried them and they came out perfect.
By the way...why is it that when you do shirts on the dryer one of the sleeves always comes out inside out? That's a strange discovery that I've made since I started doing the wash.
But I digress...on the second wash I put in all the towels I could find in both bathrooms and that been lying around, finding out that I'd left the underwear in the washing machine without putting them in the drier. So I do the wash and when it's over I put everything in the drier and couldn't help but notice that there was a ton of lint stuck to all my underwear.
After the drier is done I start taking out and folding the clothes and to my pleasant surprise there wasn't any lint on the underwear....The article was right. There was lint in one of my sweater type cotton and polyester though so I guess it works if it's cotton only.
I found out a bunch of money saving tips....some I knew and some I didn't....and I'll be sure to be trying them out to see how well they work.
For example: When doing the wash make sure that the last spin cycle is done twice thereby getting more moisture out of your clothes so it takes the drier less time to dry the clothes as the drier uses more electricity than the spin cycle of the washer.
*Another one (that I knew already) is putting the thermostat up to 82 degrees when leaving the house and when in the house keep it at 78 degrees. That keeps it within the parameters of the comfort/tolerable zone for the human body and saves on electricity. I vouch for this one as I'm doing it myself and have seen the difference in the electric bill (30 to 40 bucks difference).
*Another use of vinegar (that I recently found out) is using it for your skin. If you got dry flaky skin on your forehead (like I've had for several months now-strange, as I've never had it before) is to apply it on the infected area and after a few days of applications the skin goes back to normal. Cures dandruff also. I've tried this myself and it works like a charm.
*Also click here for more uses and there for apple vinegar & other natural health links.
*And this one also.
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*WARNING* Vinegar full strength and chlorine full strength produce a toxic gas (World War 1). Much like Mustard gas of that war but I take it it has to be FULL STRENGTH. However I HIGHLY recommend not mixing it at any strength....please !
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If anybody knows money saving tips please feel free to post them here. I will be most grateful.
Rc
